History Film / AChristmasCarol1999

* TruerToTheText: This adaptation includes several scenes almost always omitted from other adaptations--the lighthouse workers, coal miners, and sailors on a ship at sea. We see them in montages with different groups of people in different sections of the country singing ''Silent Night''. Ignorance and Want are also included, as are the young debtors relieved at Scrooge's death, Bob sitting by Tiny Tim's body and mentioning Fred in the future, the other chained spirits Marley shows Scrooge and his face appearing on the tiles of Scrooge's fireplace. (On the other hand, Scrooge making amends with the charity collectors gets AdaptedOut.)

* TruerToTheText: This adaptation includes three scenes almost always omitted from other adaptations--the lighthouse workers, coal miners, and sailors on a ship at sea. We see them in montages with different groups of people in different sections of the country singing ''Silent Night''. Ignorance and Want are also included, as are the young debtors relieved at Scrooge's death, Bob sitting by Tiny Tim's body and mentioning Fred in the future, and the other chained spirits Marley shows Scrooge. (On the other hand, Scrooge making amends with the charity collectors gets AdaptedOut.)

* TheCharmer: Scrooge is slightly put out that Topper is cheating at Blind Man's Bluff in order to mack on Betsy. One gets the impression that he's thinking about how ''he'' never had to cheat at parlor games in order to get a girl under the mistletoe. After his epiphany when he goes to Fred's party, he ''cuts a rug'', blowing everyone's mind. After all, who would've thought the old gargoyle could dance like that? And the young lady he's dancing with? ''Swooning''.

** The boy who carols at Scrooge's office door sings "Good King Wenceslas," which dates from 1953, a full decade after the early 1840s setting of ''A Christmas Carol''. (''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' has the same anachronism – in the book the boy sings the much older song "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen.")

** The boy who carols at Scrooge's office door sings "Good King Wenceslas," which dates from 1953, a full decade after the early 1840s setting of ''A Christmas Carol''. (''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' has the same anachronism.)

"God Rest You Merry Gentlemen"

* ShipperOnDeck: Fred and Emily are ''clearly'' trying to set up their friends Topper and Betsy during their Christmas party.

* BigFun: Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig are rotund, cheerful, and out to make sure everyone has a good time at the Christmas party.

* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: Creator/PatrickStewart is about to whack you with his walking stick, something that almost happens in-universe, too.

--> '''Old Scrooge:''' Go after her! ''(tearfully)'' GO AFTER HER!

* HeelRealization: It really hits Scrooge when he's taken to the Crachit house and he sees how his "fifteen-bob-a-week Bob" lives--realizing, in fact, that he ''has'' a life outside of being Scrooge's clerk. Doubles as an ArmorPiercingQuestion.
-->'''Scrooge:''' I didn't realize that Crachit had a crippled son.\\

** Scrooge admiringly remarks that Martha Crachit, arriving late because of her job, is clearly a very hard-working young girl. (Christmas Present points out that she ''has'' to be.)

* TranquilFury: Christmas Present clearly finds Scrooge an unwelcome chore on a busy day, but tolerates him, allows him to linger at Fred's, and patiently corrects him until they get to the Crachits. When Scrooge starts showing sympathy for them, Christmas Present loses it and quietly but mercilessly tears him a new one for his hypocrisy in being sad when he is the direct cause of their poverty. You could mistake his measured tone for calm until the Cratchits begin speaking again, and Christmas Present visibly snaps out of his quiet rage as though he'd forgotten they were there.

* TheCharmer: Scrooge is slightly put out that Topper is cheating at Blind Man's Bluff in order to mack on Betsy. One gets the impression that he's thinking about how ''he'' wouldn't have had to cheat at parlor games in order to get a girl under the mistletoe. After his epiphany when he goes to Fred's party, he ''cuts a rug'', blowing everyone's mind. After all, who would've thought the old gargoyle could dance like that? And the young lady he's dancing with? ''Swooning''.

* TheCasanova: Scrooge is slightly put out that Topper is cheating at Blind Man's Bluff in order to mack on Betsy. One gets the impression that he's thinking about how ''he'' wouldn't have had to cheat at parlor games in order to get a girl under the mistletoe. After his epiphany when he goes to Fred's party, he ''cuts a rug'', blowing everyone's mind. After all, who would've thought the old gargoyle could dance like that? And the young lady he's dancing with? ''Swooning''.

* TruerToTheText: This adaptation includes three scenes almost always omitted from other adaptations--the lighthouse workers, coal miners, and sailors on a ship at sea. We see them in montages with different groups of people in different sections of the country singing ''Silent Night''. Ignorance and Want are also included, as are the young debtors relieved at Scrooge's death, the ghostly hearse, Bob sitting by Tiny Tim's body and mentioning Fred in the future, and the other chained spirits Marley shows Scrooge. (On the other hand, Scrooge making amends with the charity collectors gets AdaptedOut.)

* StartsWithTheirFuneral: Quite famously, Marley was dead to begin with. This version opens with him being laid to rest and Scrooge promising to carry the firm ahead just as they have been, rather than it being a vision of Christmas Past.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When Fred sees the two charity collectors heading to Scrooge's office, he knows that it's gonna turn out badly.
* TimePassesMontage: The timeskip from Marley's funeral to seven years later is marked by the sign above the door going from black to covered in rust.

* HeelRealization: It really hits Scrooge when he's taken to the Crachit house and he sees how his "fifteen-bob-a-week Bob" lives--realizing, in fact, that he ''has'' a life outside of being Scrooge's clerk.

* TranquilFury: Christmas Present clearly finds Scrooge an unwelcome chore on a busy day, but tolerates him, allows him to linger at Fred's, and patiently corrects him until they get to the Crachits. When Scrooge starts showing sympathy for them, Christmas Present loses it and quietly but mercilessly tears him a new one for his hypocrisy in being sad when he is the direct cause of their poverty.

* RealityEnsues: When he wakes up on Christmas Day, Scrooge walks out into the street wishing a Merry Christmas to all he meets. A number of people, undoubtedly more familiar with his usual JerkAss self, look at him like he's grown two heads. And on Boxing Day, Bob Cratchit is so shocked by his boss laughing and offering to raise his salary that he grabs the fireplace poker, clearly thinking that Scrooge has gone mad. But as Fred's ending narration noted, Scrooge didn't really care.

-->’’’Marley’’’: Business? Mankind was my business! The common good was my business!

This adaptation also features Creator/RichardEGrant as Bob Cratchit, Joel Grey as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Desmond Barrit as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Tim Potter as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Bernard Lloyd as Jacob Marley, Dominic West as Fred, and Creator/LauraFraser as Belle.

* TheFaceless: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has no face visible under its hood except for its GlowingEyes.

* InformedPoverty: Fred is living an affluent Victorian in a nice house with a maidservant, but Scrooge still sneers at his finances.

* BigFun: Mr. Fezziwig, as well as his wife.

* InformedPoverty: Scrooge

Despite Fred apparently living like any affluent Victorian, including having a maidservant, this exchange occurs:

* RapidAging: Grey hairs start appearing in Christmas Present's beard, and by the end of the night he's bent and haggard, with his age evident in his voice.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: After Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will live, Christmas Present repeats Scrooge's earlier words about "reducing the surplus population." Then he absolutely lights into him, only stopping when the Crachits start speaking again.

* InformedPoverty: Despite Fred apparently living like any affluent Victorian, including having a maidservant, this exchange occurs:

->'''Scrooge:''' What right have you to be merry? You're poor.\\